


Empty

by ddagent



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, F/M, Gen, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-17
Updated: 2014-03-17
Packaged: 2018-01-16 03:14:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1329778
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ddagent/pseuds/ddagent
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Belle awakens after their return to Storybrooke.</p>
            </blockquote>





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**Author's Note:**

> I do not own Once Upon a Time or any of its characters, or its settings - all belongs to the lovely folks at ABC.
> 
> This is a short missing scene for Belle set before 3.12. Does carry minor spoilers for 3.13. Hope you enjoy!

Belle woke in Rumpelstiltskin’s bed. Even without opening her eyes she could tell it was his. The bed was wider than hers, the sheets softer and they smelt like him. Her small, iron framed bed back in her apartment didn’t have the same comforts, the same presence of Rumpelstiltskin. Twisting in the linen, Belle opened her eyes to the ceiling. It was a better sight than her nightmares.

 

Rumpelstiltskin… _dead_.

 

She rubbed her eyes, trying to shift loose anything that remained of her nightmare. The last image of the smoke enveloping them all clung harder than the rest. But here she was, safely tucked up in Rumpelstiltskin’s bed like she had the morning before. That night they had made up for all their lost time, an image Belle savoured compared to her nightmare. Looking over, Belle tried to drive the dregs away with the image of her true love still alive.

 

The sight of the empty space beside her made her swallow, made her gasp. An ache started to spread in her chest. Slipping further in the sheets, Belle grasped at where Rumpelstiltskin would have slept. There was no imprint in the pillow where his head should have laid, no warmth from where his body should have been. Nothing but empty sheets and empty air.

 

The urge to get out of bed overwhelmed her and Belle kicked off the sheets as quickly as she could. She had a few clothes here for when she stayed over, favourites that Rumpelstiltskin liked to see her wear. From her side of the closet she pulled out the blue dress, ignoring the racks and rows of shirts and ties, trousers and jackets. Losing her nightgown, Belle wriggled into the blue dress. The last time she had worn it Rumpelstiltskin had run the zipper up the back, his mouth on the line of her neck.

 

Now dressed, Belle tried to listen for any other noises in the house. The last thing she remembered was Regina casting them all back to the Enchanted Forest. Obviously that hadn’t worked out. She had woken up here, maybe Bae was here too. Rumpelstiltskin had offered his home to his son, and despite a ‘maybe’ response he had created an entire room for him. Belle was sure that Bae was sleeping two doors down, foot hanging off the bed and a pillow shoved over his head to stop the sun streaming in.

 

Focussed on reuniting with Bae, Belle walked the length of the hall to the bedroom Rumpelstiltskin had allocated for his son. She knocked, waiting for an answer. She could imagine a half-hearted response, maybe even a pillow thrown at the door in jest. But there was nothing. Inside, there was more of the same. A duffel bag was the only difference from before; the printed name on the label belonging to Neal Cassidy. The sheets were as cold as the left side of her bed.

 

Leaving Bae’s room behind, Belle drifted down the staircase. The house felt like a tomb. The air was stale, like it had been locked up tight for months on end. Everything was cold, covered in a thick layer of dust. She hadn’t disturbed anything while Rumpelstiltskin had been away, hadn’t had time once he had returned. Belle had hoped that they would finally be together but now every drop of sand had fallen. No more hamburgers in Granny’s, no more picnics in the back room. No more kisses, touches or caresses.

 

No more Rumpelstiltskin.

 

She needed to breathe, wanted to breathe. She couldn’t do that with her chest so tight and her eyes welling up with tears. Running down the foyer, Belle’s hand reached for the front door. As soon as it opened, Belle slammed it behind her.

 

Outside, Belle took two deep breaths to calm herself. Once she was done, her attention was drawn to the activity of the street. Person after person streamed out, confused as to their return to Storybrooke. She remembered some of their faces. Some looked older, the children especially. Exactly how long had it been from standing by the town line to waking up in Rumpelstiltskin’s bed? How many months, years had it been? Belle looked at her hands, searching for an answer. All she could find were a series of healed scars on her palm, scars that had not been there before.

 

The town slowly drifted from their houses into the streets. Then the calls began. The long, anguishing sounds of parents looking for children, husbands looking for wives, friends looking for friends. Belle padded down the front steps and joined the throng, her own voice unable to call for Bae. He was probably at Granny’s. She clung to that shred of hope, unwilling to face the prospect of losing someone else she cared for.

 

As Belle travelled into town, it was clear everyone was just as confused. Some headed to Granny’s for safety, others to the town hall for shelter. Belle instead walked across the main road, heading to the small store front that everyone else avoided. The knob turned easily in her hand, the catch sliding back into place behind her.

 

This had been Rumpelstiltskin’s sanctuary. Now, more so than her haven across the street, these four walls would give her strength and hope. Hope that she would see Bae again; strength that they would uncover the cause of their return. Walking to the back room, Belle plucked her favourite cup from the shelf. She managed a smile as she fingered the chip in the porcelain.  

 

She would see Rumpelstiltskin again. She had to believe that above all else.


End file.
